Mask
by Soulreciever
Summary: He had been pulled in by the paint on her lips and the melody of her voice and yet he had stayed for the light in her eyes, for the sense of familarity that swamped him each time he saw them.


Mask.

T: I can't say too much about this one without spoiling it! It's a little pointless but the concept behind it wouldn't leave me alone until I'd gotten it written down and once I'd doe that it made sense to post the thing. There is vague Slash, a technical OC (this will make sense at the end!) and the storyline takes place in between the collapse of Sunshine 60 and the fall of the Rainbow Bridge. It's not mine in any way shape or form…actually that's a slight fib, I DO own the plot!

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He'd started coming to this bar for two reasons.

The first was that, give, the clientele that frequented the place, no one asked any questions. Something that was ideal for someone who kept himself to himself as much as possible, someone, in other words, like himself.

The second was that, given its location, this particular pub was likely to live out the conflict and most likely survive without even a scratch.

His 'schedule' was volatile enough that he did not visit the pub enough to deemed a regular and yet the barman would always prepare 'his' drink without him needing to ask.

He liked the general atmosphere of the place, liked the odd peace he found in listening to the sound of other conversations flowing about him.

Thus he'd been a little perturbed, upon returning after a lengthy absence, to find that management had hired a singer.

He'd thought to leave but the paint on her lips, the husky melody of her song, had drawn him in and the clarity within her eyes, the familiarity he felt whenever he looked into that organ, had caused him to linger.

He'd made the effort to come to the bar with more regularity after that and it was not long before he the barman had both 'his drink' and 'his table' prepared without instruction.

Listening to this woman sing, loosing himself in those oh so familiar eyes, became an escape from the war, from the complexities within it and, little by little, he'd found himself addicted.

Eventually the pull had been enough that he'd requested the chance to talk to the woman and, after a little deliberation with management; a meeting had been arranged between them.

Out of the glare of the lights and removed from the 'mask' of her make-up she'd seemed smaller somehow…seemed less of an allure.

"Good evening, Sakurazuka-san, Kori-sama has told me that you are a fan of 'my work'."

"You have a unique ability that allows me to empathise with your words."

"Thank you."

"I wonder, have we met before Hitomi-san?"

"Not like this, no."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I chose my stage name very carefully, Sakurazuka-san, now if you will excuse me."

He had always held an interest in the other words that were hidden within the complex kanji of all Japanese names.

In this case, 'Hitomi' could be read as 'doubly beautiful'.

It was a self promoting name that, given the other's profession, he had not given a second thought.

Yet now that the singer had drawn his attention to it, had named it a significant thing, he could see well that it might be interpreted not as, 'a woman who was twice as beautiful as any other, but rather, 'a woman with two separate, yet equally beautiful faces.'

Clearly he had, at some point, met 'Hitomi's' other self, yet if that was the case why did he only recognise the singer's eyes?

It was possible that she had used magic to mask her true appearance and yet the singer did not have the magical ability necessary for such a spell...

…unless she was hiding her gift from him…

…Something that would require a magical gift that was equal to, or that surpassed his own…

Hitomi could also be read as 'eye'.

Suddenly everything clicked into place and, making himself less conspicuous, he followed on the singer's heals.

He finds 'her' in 'her' dressing room, packing away 'her' elegant cocktail dress for the evening.

"I am flattered by the lengths you have gone to be near me, Subaru-kun."

"I was not doing it for you."

"Then why?"

"To escape…to be someone other than who I have become 'outside'."

"And it is simply coincidence that you have looked for that 'escape' I the one place where I come to find such a thing?"

The other regards him a moment and then he enquires,

"Why did you pursue me?"

"I had a want to know if my hunch was correct."

"I see."

A long forgotten compulsion stirs in his stomach then and, smiling his 'kindly vet' smile, he remarks,

"I also wanted to tell you that you looked rather cute as Hitomi." The other flushes, just barely, and then he says,

"I'll find somewhere else to sing."

"Do you believe that necessary?"

"Things can not be as they were now that you have learned the truth."

"That is true and yet change is not always a negative thing."

"How can such a thing be anything other when we two are involved?"

He knows that his time is pressing closer and closer together, knows that soon enough he shall die by this other's hands and it is this, rather than anything else, that prompts him to reply,

"Perhaps, this time, it might be different."

He can not, after all, pass up the chance to play one last game with the boy.

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T: Warned you that it didn't have much of a point…though I suppose finding an excuse to put Subaru in a dress _is_ a point of sorts…R+R if only to tell me how bad this is!


End file.
